Copia Global has expanded its operations to Uganda. In Kenya, Copia serves more than 1 million customers and is doubling in size every year. The expansion is expected to bring products to millions of middle class Ugandans, regardless of location, technology access or connection status.
According to a 2016/17 study by the Economic Policy Research Centre, Uganda has experienced an upsurge of the middle class. Despite this population growth and the expected increase in purchasing power, the country’s retail sector is still majorly supported by the informal retail sector, similar to most of Sub-Saharan Africa. Copia’s mobile commerce provides the needed convenient access to formal retail shopping for the middle- to low-income population in the country.
While nearly 20 million Ugandans have mobile subscriptions only 12 million use the internet, which leaves a large gap in the number of people enabled for the digital economy. While Copia is a technology enabled company through and through, it does not require customers to be tech savvy.
Commenting on the expansion, Tracey Turner, Copia Founder and Chair said, “Uganda has one of the fastest growing middle classes in the world with a hard-working population and a dynamic entrepreneurial culture. Copia is designed specifically to serve this high growth but underserved consumer base who want access to high-quality products at the best prices.”
Tim Steel, Copia Global CEO said, “We are mindful of the challenges facing consumers in remote areas and we aim to be part of the solution to connect them to quality and affordable products. Over the last seven years, we have completed more than five million deliveries and served more than one million customers in Kenya and we are eager to expand our success story to the Uganda market.”
In the future, Copia plans to expand its mobile commerce platform and logistics network across other regions of Africa.